Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,55

into a man - yes, a man - and tossed a bunch of clothes on the ground. Not my clothes. Just clothes I'd never seen before. I shifted and he kissed me just as those hunters stepped into view."

Lane ducked his head and laughed. "And they didn't shoot you?"

"Nope," Lev said. "Thought they'd walked in on some pretty kinky stuff, blushed as bad as I was, and hurried off the other way. Well, that fox was their dad. Said he figured it would explain my lack of clothes, and yeah, it kinda did. We became friends, meeting up for drinks after that. About once a year, give or take. Well, he found himself a little vixen, invited me to the wedding, and they had those three girls. When the hunters got him, I swore I'd take care of his family. His wife died about two years ago now, shot by some farmer, so I convinced the girls to come here. Heard about Wolf's Run, and I was kinda hoping to get them and my son the chance to grow up in a way their parents never could."

"Where's Nik's mom?" Ashley asked.

Lev just pushed a hand across his mouth. "California, eight years ago. Tiger escaped an exotic breeding facility. Got shot making a run for it." He tried to force a smile but failed. "They used helicopters to track her. She couldn't shift. She couldn't get away. They fucking shot her on the evening news, and my boy saw it."

I closed my eyes and just clenched my jaw. It was a story I'd heard too many times. Hit by a car. Shot by a hunter. Caught in a trap. Over and over, our kind always ended up having to make the hardest of choices. If we exposed ourselves we might live, but it would endanger everyone else like us. Our friends, our families, and our loved ones.

"We'll find a way to make this work," I decided. "I don't know how, Lev, and if you turn on my pack, we will make you regret it, but my little girl? That young lady who's birthday we're celebrating? She says that diversity can make us stronger, and I'm fucking tired of hearing about us dying. The world is changing, so we need to change with it. I honestly think this has to be the first step."

"We won't be perfect," Lev told me, "but we sure will try. You just point me at who I need to impress, and I will be the nicest house cat you've ever seen."

"I'd kinda prefer a tiger," I assured him. "Just try not to scare the kids?"

"I'm good with kids," he promised. "It's usually the men who don't like me so much." And he looked over at Lane. "Kinda like you. You smell more like wolf than all the rest."

"Raised by wolves," Lane assured him. "I'm also friends with bears, so sounds like we have common ground."

"I just want to make sure my son doesn't need to run," Lev told us. "If you want me to jump through burning hoops? I can do that. Don't even care about my pride anymore. I just want to know that my boy and those three girls can one day get old. Everything else is just gonna be me learning how to make that happen."

"Then welcome to Wolf's Run," I told him. "Looks like we're winging this now."

CHAPTER 18

* * *

I watched Ian and Ashley sneak outside with the bear, his friend, and the teen boy. I noticed when the foxes arrived out front. Now, Gabby was giving a little speech, which was actually rather cute. The whole group had made their way in while she talked - mostly in smaller groups - and my eyes were tracking the new predators mingling among my pack. Since I couldn't be Elena's boyfriend today, and I wasn't really needed for most of this celebration, I decided to keep my eye on the newbies.

"Hey, Seth?" Trent asked, grabbing my arm to catch my attention.

"Foxes are here," I whispered.

He just tipped his head the opposite direction. "Tiger. Kinda more worried about him than the girls. Lane's watching the dad."

"How about I pace the boy and you get Heather and Kim to meet the girls?" I suggested.

"I can keep an eye on the boy," Trent scoffed.

I just gave him a pointed look. "You have to play nice today. Pax has to step in when Ian can't. Elena's going to need help, and I'm not boyfriend material. So, let